I just got back from canvassing in Alexandria, VA this morning. You know, the area that Joe McCain, John's little brother, recently called "communist" and what John McCain's senior adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer said was not "real Virginia." I was knocking on doors, talking to people and leaving the Obama/Warner/Moran doorknob piece at homes on a street around the corner from my home, when what did I see but two McCain canvassers across the street. They were young men, white, maybe early 20's - college republican types. I waved and said good morning. They did not wave back. I encountered them again on the next street. I waved again and said "every vote counts." Again, no response. Finally, I got to a house where they had left McCain's doorknob literature. Let me tell you, it is very different from ours.
The Obama doorknob hanger is two sided. One side features a picture of Obama and Senator Warner. In large letters above the pictures, it says in capital letters "Vote Tuesday, November 4th, Polls Open 6am - 7pm, Obama Warner, Vote Change." The words run down the doorknob hanger which I can't scan in but you get the gist of it. On the other side, it says "Vote Change" in large letters at the top, then has a picture of Obama and Biden. Underneath that it says "Barack Obama for President" and under that, there are photos of Senator Warner and John Moran, our Congressman. Under their photos are "Warner for Senate" and "Moran for Congress." Next comes a blurb in a box saying "Paid for by Campaign for Change, a project of the Democratic Party of Virginia." Underneath that, there is a segment titled "KNOW YOUR VOTING RIGHTS." It has the information a voter needs regarding ID requirements to vote, and numbers to call for questions or rides to the polls. There is no mention of McCain and there is nothing negative in the piece.
I wasn't about to ask the McCain boys for a piece of their material, so I sent my gorgeous 16 year old daughter and her best friend to charm the college boys as they walked down my own street and she got the McCain doorknob material for me.
The McCain piece has a picture of Barack Obama on it! One side has a photo of John McCain, with his name in large white letters, next to a photo of Barack Obama, with his name in smaller yellow letters. There are five sections, with McCain "positions" on the left and quotes against Obama on the right. The topics are taxes, economy, energy, security and health care. It refers to several quotes by or about Obama that are completely our of context. The other side has a photo of McCain and Palin and lots of positive slogans such as "America is worth defending...her people, worth protecting," and says the date and times to vote, but there is no number to call for a ride to the polls or for a voter to ask questions about how or where to vote. There are no instructions about bringing ID or anything like that.
I think it's notable that three days before the elction, the Obama campaign is working on getting out the vote here in Virginia, and delivering positive campaign literature that actually helps voters figure out how and where to vote, while the McCain campaign is still playing defense and is so busy criticizing Obama that it forgot to mention how and where to actually vote.
I will canvass again tomorrow. On Monday, I am off to Franklin, VA near the North Carolina border as part of the "Get out the Vote" campaign to put lawyers at polling places to protect the vote. I estimate that in the past two months I've knocked on maybe 350-400 doors and I did the phone bank once. I have called and emailed everyone I know several times to try and get people to register and vote for Barack Obama. I know that there are literally thousands more just like me in Virginia, and millions across the United States who have done just as much or much, much more to support Barack Obama. We all deserve a pat on the back, but let's save it for Wednesday morning. We have today, tomorrow and Monday to keep working and Tuesday to vote and take other people to vote. We are almost there. The only thing I have left to say is this - Do not stop working until the polls close in your state.